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Hundreds to join horse-drawn hearse in road deaths protest on Oxford Street this Saturday

Direct action group Stop Killing Cyclists to commemorate 'unknown victim'...

Hundreds of cyclists, pedestrians and other road users will make their way along the entire length of Oxford Street next Saturday accompanied by a horse-drawn hearse bearing an empty coffin in a protest billed as “The National Funeral for the Unknown Victim of Traffic Violence.”

The march, which begins at Bedford Square in Bloomsbury and concludes with a mass die-in at Marble Arch, is being co-ordinated by the campaign group Stop Killing Cyclists and its off-shoot, Stop The Killing.

Stop Killing Cyclists was set up in November last year after six bike riders lost their lives in London within the space of a fortnight, and has staged a number of die-ins and protests at various locations in London over the past 12 months.

Protesters will gather on Saturday in Bedford Square from 12 noon, with the procession setting off at 1pm. It is scheduled to arrive at Marble Arch at 2pm, with those joining in encouraged to bring white wreaths, the laying of which will be followed by the die-in and a rally.

The event comes a day before Sunday’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, launched in 1993 by the UK-based charity RoadPeace and now commemorated around the world.

Stop Killing Cyclists co-organiser Donnachadh McCarthy said: “The staggering number of deaths and injuries resulting from motorised traffic over the last decade stands at 2,400,000 people!

“This horrifically equates to the combined populations of Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff!!

“Hundreds of thousands more are suffering life-impairing terrible diseases.

“This symbolic protest funeral and mega die-in is an urgent clarion call to end this carnage and environmental destruction.”

Posters and flyers, shown below, have been distributed across the capital for Saturday’s event and you can find out more information on its Facebook page.

Stop The Killing and Stop Killing Cyclists have also outlined ten demands they will be calling for at Saturday’s protest:
1. STOP KILLING CHILDREN – Set up national multi-billion pound programme to convert residential communities across Britain into living-street Home Zones to abolish dangerous rat-runs.

2. STOP KILLING PEDESTRIANS – Establish a national programme to fund pedestrianisation of our city and town centres, including the nation’s high-street – Oxford Street.

3. STOP KILLING PENSIONERS – From excessive speed – introduce and enforce speed limit of 20 mph on all urban roads, 40 mph on rural roads/lanes and 60 mph on all other trunk roads.

4. STOP KILLING CYCLISTS – Invest £15 billion in a National Segregated Cycle Network over the next 5 years.

5. STOP KILLINGS BY HGVs – Ban trucks with blind spots by making safety equipment mandatory and strictly enforce current truck-safety regulations to reduce levels of illegally dangerous trucks down from estimated 30% to less than 1%.

6. STOP KILLINGS WITHOUT LIABILITY – Introduce a presumed civil liability law on behalf of vehicular traffic when they kill or seriously injure vulnerable road-users, where there is no evidence blaming the victim.

7. STOP KLLING WITH POLLUTION – Stop the Killing from Lung, Heart and other Diseases caused by vehicular pollutants - make it mandatory for particulate filters that meet latest EU emission standards to be fitted to all existing buses, lorries and taxis.

8. STOP KILLING AT JUNCTIONS – Stop the Killing at Junctions - introduce pedestrian crossing times long enough for elderly disabled to cross. Legalise filtered junction crossings by cyclists with strict legal priority for pedestrians and carry out urgent programme of physically protected left-hand turns for cyclists.

9. STOP KILLING WITH CO2 – Stop the Killing from CO2 emissions from impacts of the climate crisis - all transport fuels to be from environmentally-sustainable renewable sources within 10 years.

10. STREETS FIT FOR HUMANS! – Focus on Life! Transport governance must make safety and quality of life the top priority. Reform all council transport departments, the Department of Transport and Transport for London into Cycling, Walking and Transport Departments with formal pedestrian and cyclist representation.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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9 comments

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Shadow12 | 9 years ago
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Thankyou for including us, shame we didnt know earlier as could have provided graphic images of dead horses in the road-unfortunately the death of a horse by dangerous driving is not grounds for prosecution-never mind that the animal is someones beloved companion. We are sick of being bullied off the roads by aggressive drivers ,and sick of our bridleways being cut off or closed by yet more roads. Agree speed should be saved for motorways, lower speed on country lanes with high hedges and blind bends,and more priorities given to vulnerable users and leisure activities. Unfortunately working Saturday (and live in derbyshire)so cannot attend , but good luck and hope we can make a difference . Our group has just made an awareness video funded by members that will be on the web soon.

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ironmancole | 9 years ago
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Awesome, wish I could make it. Polite letters and minding our Ps and Qs has achieved very little so doing things like this is surelt the next step to escalate these issues.

Really love the call for 40mph on rural roads. Might actually have a chance of surviving when mummy and her pretend 4x4 hit someone from behind.

I've never understood why a motorway with clear sight lines, decent road surface and drainage, spare lanes to allow escape routes, ample lighting and with quick access to emergency care for those injured is a 70mph zone but a beat up farm track riddled with pot holes in the middle of nowhere sheltered with hedge ways and trees permits just 10mph less. Makes no sense at all.

Liability for those with greater responsibility to others also a complete no brainer. In all walks of life such responsibility and duty of care is expected of the bigger/older/experienced etc party such as an adult intervening if kids start fighting.

On the roads though once again logic is abandoned to favour the aggressor - 2.4 million deaths and serious injuries ina a decade is surely enough of a hint to those supposedly in charge that our present way of doing things isn't really working.

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Shadow12 | 9 years ago
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This protest is a fantastic idea to hilight the plight of vunerable road users in a
'Car ruled' society. i realise this has been organised by a cycling group but am a bit disappointed that horses and horse riders do not get a mention as we are 'being killed' too. We all play a part in raising awareness so that more road safety measures can be implemented and harsher punishments are given for drivers that kill-wether human or animal. We would be grateful if we had some representation in this protest.-member of HRSA Horses and Road Safety Awareness.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Shadow12 | 9 years ago
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Shadow12 wrote:

This protest is a fantastic idea to hilight the plight of vunerable road users in a 'Car ruled' society ... We would be grateful if we had some representation in this protest.-member of HRSA Horses and Road Safety Awareness.

Welcome to the site. While this is a cycling site, I hope we made clear that the protest isn't just about cyclists, it's about road users in general. Of whom, pedestrians, cylclists, horse riders and motorcyclists are the most vulnerable.

I suspect for a lot of people on Oxford Street on Saturday, seeing a horse drawing a hearse will be the first time they have seen a working horse in London.

But it's one of the little joys of the city that when I used to work nights near Piccadilly and came out of the office at 6am, I'd often see the cavalry, in anything but their dress uniforms, pass by exercising their horses. Something you never forget.

Living away from London now, I often walk from Paddington to Hyde Park when I come up here, and it's lovely to see kids come out of the mews from the stables on riding lessons there.

Horses have always been part of London's fabric, although clearly it's rare you see them these days (and, for me, a thrill when I do).

But whether on horseback, on foot, or on a bike, I am sure you would be more than welcome on Saturday.

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ironmancole replied to Shadow12 | 9 years ago
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Shadow12 wrote:

This protest is a fantastic idea to hilight the plight of vunerable road users in a
'Car ruled' society. i realise this has been organised by a cycling group but am a bit disappointed that horses and horse riders do not get a mention as we are 'being killed' too. We all play a part in raising awareness so that more road safety measures can be implemented and harsher punishments are given for drivers that kill-whether human or animal. We would be grateful if we had some representation in this protest.-member of HRSA Horses and Road Safety Awareness.

Yes, welcome absolutely. I've always felt all vulnerable road users should combine their concerns - each group has more than its fair share of horror stories and with rare exception all at the hands of motorists.

I have friends who used to ride horses but after a particularly hairy ordeal with a local maniac who deliberately buzzed people before a horse had to be put down in the road as a result of it bolting they abandoned all things horses - think they'd had enough of political and police apathy towards such drivers and an element of guilt for the poor animal also.

The time has come I feel - too many people being slaughtered with zero response from government is leading to a simmering level of anger across the country. Guarantee our MPs will continue to sit on their hands though...very few of them have any kind of will to break the death like vice of motoring that is, as we can all probably agree, crippling the country.

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ragtag | 9 years ago
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skippy | 9 years ago
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Those wanting " Placards " to carry at this Event can see an assortment at " Vision-ZERO-Worldwide/540123632761709 you can even give a " LIKE " whilst there .

Any thatt have access to a " Laminator " should consider using it and perhaps making a few extra to pass on to others who may be unable to find this simple way of making their POV known

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Bidster | 9 years ago
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I'm really thankful SKC have given cyclists an opportunity where we can express enough is enough and change is needed. I'll be travelling up from Devon. I'm hoping lots of cyclists will be there to make a stand... by lying down at the funeral and die-in.

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BigManLittleHair | 9 years ago
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This demo is an amazing grass roots affair. If you want safer streets please lend your support by popping along.

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